When a National Geographic documentary team discovered a boot and sock sticking out of a melting glacier on Mount Everest in September, they almost immediately recognized its significance as a clue to a century-old mystery.
A name label still stitched onto the woollen sock read “A.C. Irvine,” revealing that it probably belonged to British climber Andrew “Sandy” Irvine. Irvine’s disappearance on Everest in 1924, alongside his compatriot George Mallory, is one of mountaineering’s biggest mysteries – with a solution that has the potential to change history.
The pair disappeared on June 8, 1924, 800 feet below Everest’s summit, as they set off to complete the first documented ascent of the world’s tallest mountain. But whether they made it to the summit, thus becoming the first known people to reach this milestone, before they died is still unknown.
While Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999, neither Irvine’s body nor the camera that the climbers were carrying, which might reveal whether they reached the summit, have ever been found.
That is, until this latest expedition, when the National Geographic team, which included “Free Solo” co-director Jimmy Chin, discovered a foot inside what they believe is Irvine’s boot. While they are waiting for DNA confirmation, comparing samples from the foot with ones taken from members of Irvine’s family, it appears to be the first evidence of his death since his disappearance.
Leave a Reply